Respite
by slightlytookish
Summary: Sirius looks after Remus after a full moon. Hogwarts-era.


Remus returned from the hospital wing shortly before dinner on Saturday. His friends were in the common room; James was trouncing Peter at chess even though his eyes kept straying to the two chairs by the fire where Lily Evans and Mary Macdonald sat whispering conspiratorially. Nearby, Sirius sprawled lazily across an entire sofa, levitating a bar of Honeydukes' finest dark chocolate just below the ceiling.

His friends glanced up as the portrait hole closed and Remus stepped into the common room. James and Peter waved him over, and with a grin Sirius sent the chocolate zooming across the room, nearly skimming the ear off a first year girl before the bar landed safely in Remus' outstretched hand. Remus smiled in thanks but motioned for his friends to remain where they were- he was sore and exhausted, and wanted to rest a bit before dinner.

He trudged up the stairs and into the dormitory, pausing for a moment to enjoy the soothing quiet after the dull roar of voices and laughter in the common room. Setting the chocolate aside for later, Remus sat gingerly on the edge of his bed and kicked off his shoes before letting himself fall backwards with a weary sigh, his legs dangling over the side and his head just missing the pillow. There was no point in undressing now, with dinner so soon, and he tugged absently at the bandage peeking out from beneath the collar of his shirt. The cloth was stiff and rough against his skin, and the wound beneath itchy and sore, but he was distracted from it by the sound of feet clattering up the stairs and the door swinging open.

Sirius was not a quiet person, nor a gentle one, except with Remus after a full moon. He stepped inside and glanced around, and in the next instant he charged across the room and leapt onto the bed with a lightness and gracefulness that Remus both envied and appreciated. The mattress lurched beneath his weight and Sirius silently, gently, tugged Remus to the center of the bed and carefully eased his head onto the pillow. His task complete, Sirius curled up beside him, wedging himself in the small space between Remus and the edge of the bed, keeping his knees drawn up and elbows tucked in, and looking very pleased with himself.

"Daft mutt," Remus said fondly. He moved his hand to rest on Sirius' shoulder but found fur beneath his fingers instead. A cold, wet nose pressed against his neck, and Padfoot whined at the sight of a long but shallow (and very new) scratch stretching from the underside of Remus' chin and along his jaw until it disappeared into his hair just behind his ear.

"It's nothing," Remus murmured, threading his fingers through the thick, soft fur. "Even Madam Pomfrey didn't think it was worth bandaging. It'll be gone in a day or two, you'll see. In the meantime, I plan on telling anyone who asks that I was injured dueling the Muggle way. Swashbuckling. Just like they did in that film with the pirates we saw last summer, at that cinema near James' house. _You_ liked the ship very much. I remember you wanted to transfigure the Giant Squid into one."

Clearly not succumbing to Remus' attempt at distraction, Padfoot snuffled against his neck and wriggled in agitation, causing his hind legs to slip off the bed. Paws grappling for balance, Padfoot yelped as Remus laughed and threw both arms around him, pulling him close. "Come here, you great slobbering beast, before you fall off the bed."

Safe once more, Padfoot's tail thumped happily against the blankets for a moment before he shifted and Sirius appeared again, his nose still pressed against Remus' neck.

"If you even _think_ about licking me…" Remus said, trying to sound stern and failing miserably with the laughter still lurking in his voice.

"Moony," Sirius said, sounding shocked and appalled and grinning mischievously against his neck. "Would I ever?"

Remus rolled his eyes and didn't answer, but he kept one arm wrapped snugly around Sirius until James yelled up the stairs, calling them for dinner.


End file.
